Saturday, March 7, 2015

A Kid's TV Guide

From the fun 70's Ready-Set-Grow book series, A Kid's TV Guide deals with watching television intelligently, and teaches that TV can be a very good thing if it is wisely and properly controlled. It also teaches how tv can be a bad thing by causing people to want things that are not good for them, to escape from reality, to be passive and uncreative, or even to become violent. Be smart, don't let the tv control you! I totally never knew that it was dangerous to watch tv with sunglasses on, so here are some other valuable highlights from this 125+ page book by Joy Wilt, and featuring some very cool Schoolhouse Rock style artwork from Hergie, aka Ernie Hergenroeder!

Joy Wilt was the creator and director of Children's Ministries, as well as a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, so yeah, everything had a somewhat Christian slant typical of stuff from this era... but I'm sure she meant well with the countless books and programs she created, even though some of it feels a bit knee jerk reactionary these days. I have to admit I completely agree with some of the lessons here, especially in being critical when it comes to commercials and advertising.

Page 5 "You will see 18,000 murders" and this was before NYPD, CSI, America's Most Wanted, etc.

Page 12 "You should not have to be controlled by TV." Could she have imagined how many are controlled by TV today via TIVO, recorded shows, online TV, internet TV, DVDs of TV shows, cable, etc etc. There went that suggestion out the window.

Page 17 "People aren't very smart. In fact, all of them are downright dumb!" The motto of Wall street!

This book is comedy gold when you look at it with today's mindset. The preachy tone of the book just adds to the cheesy charm. A terrific find Karswell! Thanks!

wait...it was TV that has perpetuated that stork bringing the baby myth? i thought it was all the puritanical sexual fraidy cats that told stupid stories when genuine questions about sex were asked by their kids. boy was i wrong!!! TV has been the bad guy all along!

About Me

(aka Steve Banes) Editor / co-editor of IDW's Chilling Archives of Horror Comic Books: ZOMBIES, RETURN OF THE ZOMBIES, DEVIL TALES, and MUMMIES, as well as co-host of the bi-monthly HAUNTED HORROR comic series and HAUNTED LOVE miniseries. (All image scans and photography by me from items found in my own personal collection-- except where noted.)